The present invention generally relates to the use of umbrellas, and in particular, to umbrella bases used to hold umbrellas in an upright position.
Outdoor and patio umbrellas (collectively referred to as patio umbrellas) are widely used in personal, recreational and commercial settings. Typical commercial purchasers of patio umbrellas include hotels, resorts, restaurants, cafes, pubs and coffee houses. Because of their widespread use and the visual exposure they provide to users and passers-by, patio umbrella's have been popular as a media for corporate advertising. As more people spend time outside and become more educated about the harmful effect of the sun's direct rays, the demand for patio umbrella's is likely to increase along with the opportunity for providing advertising centered around the patio umbrella. Heretofore, such advertising has been limited to imprinting or otherwise incorporating company names, product names, logos and the like directly on the umbrella's fabric covering, where the advertising is within normal sight lines of persons situated at a distance from the umbrella, however, where the advertising cannot be easily viewed by persons close in, such as persons seated under the umbrella.
Therefore, there is a need for increasing the opportunities for corporate and other types of advertising associated with the patio umbrella that have not heretofore existed. There is also a need to provide a vehicle for corporate advertising associated with patio umbrella's that is visually prominent and within sight-lines of people seated or standing underneath or close to the umbrella in a manner not provided by conventional advertising specialty umbrella's. These needs are fulfilled by the present invention by means of a novel umbrella base capable of providing a visible advertising message beneath the umbrella held by the base.
There is also a need for an improved umbrella base that can easily be moved from one location to the other and that can be adapted to support umbrellas of different sizes and weights and in different weather environments. Weight is an important issue for patio umbrella bases. A user or manufacturer must normally determine the weight required to support a patio umbrella for given conditions. This determination depends on several variables, including the weight and span of the patio umbrella to be supported, and the location and environmental conditions in which the patio umbrella is to be used. For example, a heavier base would be more suitable for a patio umbrella that is to be used in an exposed outdoor area where wind loads are frequently high. On the other hand, if the patio umbrella is to be used in a relatively sheltered or non-exposed area, such as inside a large building or sheltered area, or underneath a table, a lighter base would suffice. Too much weight is undesirable because the base would be excessively heavy and difficult to move. The added weight may also lead to increased shipping costs. Insufficient weight would make the umbrella susceptible to being toppled by wind or other forces.
Heretofore, different umbrella bases having different weights have typically been designed for different use environments. For example, umbrella bases using a form of cast iron or metal bottom plate have been popular for supporting outdoor patio umbrellas that are quite large and heavy and that require a heavy and stable umbrella base for adequate support. A conventional cast iron base will typically weigh about fifty to seventy pounds. Such weight is adequate to support some patio umbrellas in some environments, however, it may be inadequate depending on weather conditions and the umbrella size. Also, metal bases are susceptible to corrosion which results not only in the deterioration of its outer appearance, but also creates a problem when rust particles stain the surrounding support surfaces such as wood or concrete. Protective coatings such as rust resistant paint and even high cost powder coatings have been used to help alleviate this problem, however, in high traffic areas repeated contact with tables and chairs can cause scratches in the surface coatings allowing the metal beneath the protected surface to rust.
Another known form of an umbrella base is a simple, typically hemispherical block of concrete having an imbedded vertical pipe for receiving the end of an umbrella. Such bases are heavy, unattractive and difficult to move, and not well adapted for many use environments.
Yet another umbrella base design that has heretofore been used is a base that is rotationally or blow molded from plastic to form a one piece hollow body similar in construction to a milk container. This molding process produces low cost, rust resistant parts, however, the parts generally are large and bulky and cosmetically unattractive. Also, they are produced with a relatively thin and uniform wall thickness making it difficult to attach the necessary structural tubing to hold the umbrella shaft. Rotationally or blow molded bases are usually located in a predetermined location and then filled with suitable fluid ballast such as water through a small fill opening to provide the weight necessary to support the umbrella. Once filled, they are very difficult to move without the draining of the fluid ballast.
A need further exists for an umbrella base that can be easily moved. The difficulty in moving conventional umbrella bases is a significant drawback. As the sun transitions throughout the day, the shade from the umbrella moves from one location to another. If tables and chairs have been arranged below the umbrella to shade the early morning sun, by afternoon these chairs and tables are now in the direct sunlight. The umbrella themselves have been designed to allow for some sun correction by allowing the user to tip or angle the umbrella to offset the suns movement. However, because of the difficulty in moving existing umbrella bases and because the offset angle of the umbrella only offers minimal shade adjustments, users usually need to move their table and chairs to the new shaded area as the day progresses.
There is also a need to provide a convenient source of power to an umbrella for umbrella lights and/or to power electrical devices used by persons using the umbrella. The use of umbrella lighting is increasing prevalent. For example, small strings of small lights have been adapted to the underside and perimeter of the umbrella shade to provide evening lighting and a decorative environment. The lights in these umbrellas are normally connected via a long extension cord to an electrical wall outlet, usually a 120-volt circuit. These cords connecting the power source to the lights usually extend along the concrete or patio surface, wrap around the umbrella base and up the pole to connect to the lights. This can create a dangerous situation due to the traffic, tables and chairs that surround each umbrella base where people can trip or possibly damage the electrical cord. In addition, many umbrellas are used around water sources such as pools, pond, lakes etc. that could cause serious, if not deadly, results if the umbrella was tipped or blown over into the water source causing an electrical hazard.
Electrical power at the umbrella for powering electrical devices and appliances has also not heretofore existed without providing extension cords or a connection to a power supply external to the umbrella. A source of power at the umbrella would be particularly useful for users of lap top computers, portable fax machines, and other electronic communications devices, and users of various electrical appliances that might be employed while sitting underneath an umbrella, such as heaters, fans, radios, blenders, etc.
The present invention fulfills these needs and overcomes the above-mentioned shortcomings of previous umbrella bases by providing an improved and versatile umbrella base that provides a source of electrical power to users of the umbrella and a facility for connecting up to the source of power without the need for lengthy extension cords, or power connections external to the umbrella held by the base.